The Date definition
by Altria Pendoragon
Summary: Date? what is that? I've never heard that, can you explain it for me? *ehem ehem* Okay. So this is a kind of short story that Gil have to explain What is a date, Know about date? Come on Read it! Maybe you can help Gil.


"Gil, I can smell delious meat in that direction!"

"Alright, let's check it out, Arturia!

Gil sped off with her, as she kept nose stuck sniffing the air, somehow getting the whiff of meat in the far off distance.

"You two wait a sec!" Was the yell behind them from Diarmuid.

Gil laughed as he hadn't for what felt like ages. "Hurry up Papa!" He called back behind him.

Arturia joined in the laughter

They submerged themselves into the crowded market road. The usual stalls had been replaced with odd tents and tables with equally odd looking people selling everything from little bobbles to jewelry that had the suspicious appearance of little fingers. The high spirits were contagious.

"Found it!" she chirped gleefully. They came to a little stall where a man was roasting a dozen kabobs on an open grill. Gil suppressed, quickly paying before she started eating.

"Looks like we lost Diarmuid" she observed as she stripped a whole stick clean in one bite. Gil craned his neck to try and catch of glimpse of his trademark the mole that enchants women sticking above all the faces. Nothing.

"That means we have no chaperone," he state plainly. He and Arturia exchanged looks.

"Come on, Gil let's explore!"

They spent a good while examining the large number of performances around the square including a man throwing around sticks of fire, a troupe of dancers dressed in a rainbow of colors, Gil spent a good ten minutes explaining that a man was standing on two ten foot poles called tilts and was not in fact a chain in disguise, followed by convincing her that she shouldn't attempt it herself. It was odd how easy it was to laugh and smile after everything that happened with Shirou…

"Hey. Hey. Hey Gil!"

He snapped back into focus and turned Arturia who was nibbling on a piece of nougat. "Huh" They had taken a break and were sitting down on a stone ledge.

"I said what's that?" she pointed in front of them to a couple who were laughing over a number of masked men playing out a skit.

"That's a play. It's when people act out a-"

"No, No," she said impatiently. "I'm talking about that. Their hand. Why are they holding each other 's hand?"

"Oh", it had never occurred to Gil that she had never known what holding hands were. He didn't really know how to explain it. "Well um. They're probably on a date."

Arturia blinked. "A Date? What's that?"

Gil felt his face grow hot despite himself and he fumbled for a coherent sentence. "A Date is… it's um, it's when two people go somewhere alone together and …"

"Hold Hands?"

"Well yes, you can hold hands. You don't have to but you can. So anyway, it's when you spend time together at some place special. Was that a good explanation?" Gil was pretty sure it wasn't.

She just frowned at the boy and girl still holding hands. Gil couldn't understand her expression.

"So…" she formed her words slowly. "Were on a date."

"W-What?" Gil had to grab a stranger to keep from falling off where they sat. He gave a swift and right himself.

"We- we're not-

Arturia spoke simply, as if running down a checklist. "We're two people alone together. And we're at a festival, that's someplace special right? And holding hands is optional so…"

"It's true that those all match but…" Gil tried not to scold himself. Ye, he definitely did not give a good explanation. "But to be on a date, the two people need to like each other…

"Not that I Don't like Saber! Just... not like that!" He quickly added, seeing her face fall.

"What is it like then? How do you like someone like that" she asked, looking even more confused.

"It's like when you… uh…" How the hell was he supposed to explain this one? "When you look at another person and you feel… Butterflies!

She raised a slightly bewildered eyebrow. "Butterflies?"

"Yes! In your stomach. And they're all fluttering about. Oh, and your heart beats a little faster when you're around them." There, Gil thought proudly. That was pretty good description.

"So I guess… I like food!"

"Uh." That too almost made Gil fall down, but managed to pull a supportive grin. "Yeah um, I guess so."

She was half way to what appeared to be an understanding smile when it dropped. She twiddled her fingers. "No, it's different though. Like you can't think properly when you're

Around them and they're all that's in your head at the time."

"Yeah! Yeah exactly!"

"But both people have to feel that way right? And then put everything together, and only then is it a date."

"Yes," Gil said in slight relief. Positive they weren't about to have any more misunderstandings.

Arturia got abruptly and grinned a little too brightly. "I get it no. We're not on a date then." She turned on her heel and bounded down a random street.

"Hey, Arturia, Wait up!" Gil was having trouble keeping up with her as she was walking with particularly long strides. He scratched the back of his head, understanding he'd just said something wrong, but not being able to pinpoint what exactly that was. "So uh… I wonder where Diarmuid is, it's been awhile," he said weakly.

"Lancer probably got lost in the mole of his face," she answered back with a slight snap.

"Oh yeah right." He pursed his lips together and glanced carefully at her, but she seemed to be finding particular interest in the paved road.

"My, my, you two don't seem to be happy at the moment. Perhaps the young couples needs an insight into their future?"

Both Gil and Arturia whirled around at the word couple.

"No we're not-"Gil had begun but shut it immediately.

It was a woman garbed in shabby black robes, covering all but her mouth which was cracked and so thin they were barely there. The skin on her hands, which was skin visible looked so pale and translucent it resembled paper. They removed with an eerie grace around a small crystal ball as if in a gentle caress. Gil couldn't help but notice how the tables on either side of her's were set up a good few meters away.

"We're not a couple" Arturia said, finishing Gil's sentence.

"You're not? My apologies. I thought you two were on a date."

"No we're not," she huffed. "To be on a date, both people have to like each other, but in particular way. If both people don't feel the same way then it's not a date." The bite in her tone made Gil want to shrink for some reason.

The woman's smile grew wider. They couldn't see her eyes, but her head swiveled between both of them. "But what if you don't know both people feel the same way? Perhaps it the young lady would care to look into my crystal ball she would find out?" She gestured to the crystal sphere in front of her. Arturia's cast it dismissive scowl that vanished immediately and her eyes bulged at it. She was obviously seeing something Gil wasn't, because all he could make out were clouds. Perhaps she was taking particular interest in the fact that it would be overcast tomorrow? A minute passed and he noticed only the slightest change. Yellow and a flash of Red peaked out from behind the clouds.

Yellow and Red ….. Arturia is going to find herself in a field of Plushy!

And suddenly as the colors appeared they were gone and Arturia seemed to pull out of its hold. She glared at the woman indignantly and turned away abruptly. "That told me nothing," she said, but had turned a bright shade of pink.

Gil cast the old lady a curious glance. "I guess the young lady isn't the only one who doesn't know," She gave a chortle that he wasn't too fond of and retreated further into her hood.

"Hungry again?" Gil joked slightly, coming up behind Arturia.

To his surprise she gave a slight shake of her head and said. "I want to leave."

"Oh, uh – okay, let's go find Diarmuid then."

They made their way back in the direction of the manor house. They were supposed to be keeping an eye out for Diarmuid, but Gil was sure Arturia was keeping as much to that task as he was. "So did you like the festival? Gil asked meekly, wondering if the atmosphere was more awkward now than it was a few minutes ago.

Arturia merely shrugged.

"Any chance it had anything to do with plushy?"

"What?"

"Yellow and Red. I saw a bit of yellow and red in that crazy crystal ball."

For some reason she turned bright red and refused to look at him. "It was actually gold and re- no, I'm not telling," she muttered angrily.

Gil's curiosity surged but he kept his mouth shut. So I guess it wasn't plushy.

They'd eventually made their way back into the main road where new acts were being set up that better suited for a night time backdrop. Gil sighed, his brain not having been able to wrap around how exactly to lighten up the mood when he saw him. He was striding up to them, same scowl, same Black Hair and Gold eyes…

Gil felt a surge of hope bloom inside his stomach and –

The boy passed, shot him a frown and turned away and disappeared around the next corner. A cold pit formed in Gil's stomach where there had been warmth. His hands folded into fists and he bit his lip hard enough he tasted blood.

"Gil," Arturia began tentatively.

It wasn't him, his mind told him firmly. It couldn't have been him firmly. It couldn't have been him. And yet, he'd been so ready to believe actually was. How Pathetic.

"Gil?"

He gave a soft snort himself and smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry 'bout that Arturia, I thought I saw someone I knew, But it definitely wasn't that person. Let's go and maybe we'll run into Diarmuid on-"

"You're such an idiot."

Gil froze. "Huh"

Arturia folded her arms and said irritably. "Stop smiling when you don't want to smile."

His lips strained to stay curved. "So what should I do? Frown?" "You should stop pretending like you've accepted what's happened and actually get onto accepting it."

"But I have, I-"

"Gil, even there are things you can't – won't accept."

Arturia held his gaze steadily before he had to turn away. He watched a little ladybug crawl into a flower pot and laughed a lifeless laugh. "Maybe, I'm putting up a strong front, not regre-"

"That's stupid. Not regret doesn't make you strong. Who told you that?

Gil laughed again, a real laughed one this time and sunk onto the nearest bench. "You're right. That was stupid." He smiled weakly at Arturia who sat down next to him. "You know, Arturia is the strongest person I know."

She flushed before pulling her eyes brow together suspiciously. "Are you saying I Regret a lot?"

"NO, No!" He struggled once more to find the right words. "It's just I know I've already told you this, but you're great, Arturia, You're really are."

Her eyes widened for the briefest moment before she look down, obscuring her face with her Blonde Looks. "You really are an idiot. And I'm know you love me, so you're supposed to say that."

Gil smiled feeling the pain in his chest loosen just slightly and his eyes grow moist. He really did just have to accept that Shirou-

"Ouch!" He gave a loud yelp and his hand flew to his ear where Arturia just bitten. "A-Arturia?" But before he could form a logical answer to anything, she leaned forward and he stiffened.

She took her finger and wiped away the tear that spilled from his eye.

"Now you're a little bit stronger," She said softly.

He sat frozen in his spot as she withdrew, her hand pulling away…

His body move without warning, his hand darting out and intertwining with hers.

Her eyes bulged. "Gil, what are you-"

Reflexively she tried to pull away, but he only tightened his grip. His face felt hot and he was sure everyone in a ten foot vicinity could hear the racing of his heart that drummed so loudly in his own ears.

He stared down at their hands, marveling at soft hers were. "Butterflies…" he murmured.

"Butterflies?"

"Remember when I tried to tell to you what a date was?" And didn't do a very good job at it, he added silently to himself.

She nodded.

And only caring about the rapid thumping of his heart and the warmth spreading through his fingers, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. After five seconds or Five years he pulled away. "Well that was a kiss, and it too optional" 


End file.
